Bierce, Ambrose -- “Fraud,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1885-01-10)

Dave — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:35:44 +0000

FRAUD, n. The life of commerce, the soul of religion, the bait of courtship, and the basis of political power.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Fraud,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1885-01-10)

Not collected in later books.

Sagan, Carl -- The Demon-Haunted World, ch. 13 (1995)

Dave — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 18:26:34 +0000

One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.

Carl Sagan (1934–1996) American scientist and writer
The Demon-Haunted World, ch. 13 (1995)

WIST Quotations

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Fraud,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1885-01-10)

Sagan, Carl -- The Demon-Haunted World, ch. 13 (1995)